Angel in Black

The halls buzzed with excitement. Another Friday had arrived, and it was as though the students of Dagger Collins High had never expierenced one in their lives. Caroline stood at her locker, the door wide open, trying to remember what exactly it was she had been searching for.
"I really should clean this out..." she mumbled, standing on her tip-toes to peak in.
She reached her hand inside and pulled out a sciene text book, then closed the door. With a jolt, she noticed that Mark was standing next to her. He smiled.
"Need a hand?" he asked.
"I got it, thanks." she said with a smirk.
"Alright, alright."
They walked down the hall side-by-side. He watched as she struggled to hold her things in her arms. It was a tad bit amusing, but not enough to continue to let her carry everything by herself.
"Here." he spoke.
He picked up three books and a journal. She nodded, her way of saying 'thanks' without using words. He was surprised at how good a match they were for each other. A month ago, when he first bumped into her in the gym, he never thought they would date, let alone date this long. For once in his life, something was going right.
Mark walked Caroline to her first hour class, kissed her on the cheek, and started towards his own class. He was always late for his classes, but he realy didn't care. The way he saw it, a good boyfriend would make sacrifices.
"Freak!" someone called.
He looked ahead.
"Yeah, you, come over here!" they shouted.
"Give me one good reason you illiterate, jackass of a jock." he shouted.
"...What?" the jock asked stupidly.
Mark chuckled and shook his head. He carried on down the hall with his hands in his pockets. Something was about to happen, and he knew it. His right hand gripped loosley and the handle of his knife. Show me what you got, he thought.
A few seconds later, he was pushed violently into a locker. Oh, this should be good, he reflected, tightening his grip on the knife.
"Fight back, pansy!" the jock, who he now reconized as a boy named Alex, shouted.
"I'm not sure if that's what you really want." he said.
"Oh really?" he laughed. "Come on, freak, represent your fucked up clique!"
"Okay..." he sighed.
He pulled out his knife and held it up where the enemy could see it. Alex froze.
"I don't like jocks." Mark hissed.
He moved closer.
"Especially ones who fuck with me." he said through gritted teeth. "Do you understand me? I am done taking all your bullshit, so unless you back the fuck off, instead of cutting myself, I'll cut you. Got it?"
"Yeah sure whatever dude, just don't hurt me!" he muttered.
"Deal." he said.
Mark pocketed the knife. Would he really have cut him up? No. He just wanted to scare him, and his mission had clearly been accomplished. He was just so sick of dealing with all of the jocks and the preps shoving him in trash cans, calling him names, egging his house. His was done with them ridiculing Caroline for dating him. It wasn't funny anymore.

*

"I heard about you and Alex." Caroline told him as they walked home together in the rain.
He winced.
"What the fuck were you thinking? You could've gotten in some huge trouble!" she shouted.
"Hey, I didn't actually cut him with it...And, he started it!" he couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Did he have a knife?" she asked.
"No..." he mumbled.
She walked out in front of him, stopped, and reached for both his hands. They stood together on the sidewalk. She tried to make eye contact.
"Look, Mark, I love you..." she began. "I really, really do. You're my angel in black."
"Don't use that petty nickname on me." he sighed, trying to tug away.
"It's not a nickname, it's the truth. I just...I don't want to have you taken away to jail or something, okay?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Just...Try to control your anger, please? You can probably get away with this one, seeing as you didn't hurt him, but..." she trailed off.
The rest of the walk was silent, neither knowing what to say to the other.

*

They arrived at her apartment complex and walked up the seemingly endless flights of stairs to her own apartment. This was and had been their routine for quite some time now; Attend school, walk to Caroline's place after school.
She lived by herself, even though she was only seventeen years old. Her parents had died in a terrible car crash and she was left with her aunt Stacey at the age of eight. Nine years later, she decided it would be best for her to live on her own.
Mark, on the other hand, had been adopted when he was five. He was the product of a rape-victim, who spared his life by choosing to put him up for adoption instead of abortion. His adoptive parents really weren't suited to be parents at all. His father hit him, and his mother was always drunk off her ass. They barely noticed when he was gone, so he spent most of his time at Caroline's.
With their pasts, it's easy to see why they would begin the act of self-mutilation. No strong parental figures were there to teach them what emotions were, so they had no idea how to deal with them...Until they found a razorblade.
Neither Caroline or Mark had cut or burned or pinched or did any other type of self-injury since that one faithful day awhile back. No one else may have understood how significant this was, but they did, and that's all that mattered.
"Carrie, I love you." Mark spoke gently.
She grinned.
"You make me wet." he laughed, lifting his rain-drenched shirt up.
She laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder. They sat on the couch for awhile, in an undistrubed silence. He wanted the moment to last forever.

PROPOSE TO HER.

He coughed. What?, he asked himself. He looked at Caroline. She hadn't moved an inch.

ASK HER TO MARRY YOU.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" he blurted.
Carrie raised her head. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Oh...Nothing. I was just thinking about all the homework I missed in Math..." he lied. "Hey, I'm gonna go for a walk."
"Can I come?"
"I'd rather not...I just want some me time, you know?"
"Okay. Be back before six or I'm not cooking you dinner."
Mark smiled and slid off the couch. When he got outside, he was pleased to see that it had stopped raining. Now, where to?, he thought as he started to walk. He didn't really know what to do. He just wanted to clear his head.
"I can't ask Caroline to marry me..." he said aloud.
Why can't you?, a voice in his head rang immediatly.
"We've only been dating for a month...And we've only know each other for a month." he said.
On the other hand, the voice was hellbent on making him sway his judgement.
"On the other hand...I really do love her. I've never felt like this about anyone else in my life. I mean, I stopped hurting myself for her. That says a shitload right there."
So..., the voice said.
"So...I guess I could ask her to marry me."
He grinned to himself. He was a little creeped out that he had been having a conversation with a voice in his head, but the fact that he decided he was going to propose to Caroline over-ruled it with joy.

*

"Mom, I need some money!" Mark shouted as he walked into his house.
She stumbled out of the kitchen. "Hi son! How much do you need, deary, sweety pie boy?" she hiccuped.
"Um...About three thousand dollars." he said.
"Three grand! What for?" she asked.
"I'm uh...I'm buying you a present!" he lied.
"Oh, alright! Give mama a second..."
She turned her back to him and wandered into the living room. A few moments later, she was handing him a wad of cash.
"Three thousand. All hundreds. Kay?"
"...Thank you."
He ran out of the house. Jewler, jewler, where the fuck is the jewler?, he thought. He tried to remember what street 'James and Sons Jewlery Shop' was on.
"Eanie meanie minie moe." he spoke.
And he practically sprinted down the street.

*

Mark browsed the shelves at the jewlery shop, trying to decide what ring to choose. One of the clerks was accompaning him because of the fact that he owned the shop, was already married and had already done this before. What would be the right ring for Caroline? She didn't come off as the type of woman who would wear jewlery in the first place, so it was hard to choose.
"How bout that one?" the clerk asked him, pointing to a large and gleaming diamond ring.
"Too big, Carrie is a delicate lady." he replied.
"I see..." he said.
He needed the perfect size, and one that soley defined his love for her. For that he needed a ring like her, edgey, beautiful, and carressing. But where could you possibly find one like that...?
One ring in particular caught his eye. It had a silver band, one large and brillantly shinning diamond in the middle, and two smaller but equaly beautiful diamonds on either side of that. The perfect ring.
"Hold it." Mark said as soon as he caught sight of the ring.
The clerk stopped and turned to him. "What? Did you find it?"
"I think I did...That one." he replied, pointing through the glass to the ring.
"Oh, that one's a beaut. Let me get it out for you." he said polietly.
He walked around to the backside of the counter, unlocked the glass case, and carefully set the ring out for him to see. Mark studied it. It was even more beautiful up close. He had to get it.
"How much?" he asked, fumbling for his wallet.
"Two grand." he answered.
"Alright, I can swing that." he said.
He pulled out the wad of cash and counted the correct amount of money, then slid it over to the clerk, who counted it again. When everything was set, Mark held the ring box in his hands, gaping at the beauty inside.
"That Caroline is one lucky girl." the jewler told him.
"Ha...I'll be the lucky one if she says yes." he laughed.
"She will." he said.
"I hope so." he sighed. "That'll mean I get to spend the rest of my life with her, and I want nothing else."